speaker, i stand with my fellow law makers in congress, with mayor michael bloomberg, with governor cuomo, in demanding federal legislation that specifically addresses illegal trafficking of guns across state lines. and the requirement of background checks in all gun purchase transactions. to truly put an end to the random gun violence that playings new york city and other -- plagues new york city and other areas, however, we must also address other policy areas to have profound effects on the level of gun violence that we see. yes, i agree that mental health and mental illness are important factors that have to be explored and addressed when trying to mitigate against gun violence. however, there's some additional factors that contribute to what has become tantamount to a public health crisis. one such factor is poor educational outcome. according to the american economic review, one year increase in the average years of education completed reduces violent crime by nearly 30%. in fact, between 2000 and 2005, new york state increased its higher education expenditures by roughly 40%. durin